After both having extra time off, the Kennedy Commanders and the Standley Lake Gators will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Kennedy's tournament run continued when they took on Wellington last Saturday. Kennedy managed a 55-49 victory over Wellington. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Commanders.
Kennedy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Morgan Williams, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 boards. Another player making a difference was Audrinna Aragon, who went 5 of 9 on her way to 15 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Standley Lake two weeks ago. They took down Silver Creek 57-39. Given the Gators' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Raptors are ranked 139th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kennedy better keep an eye on Kameron Mireles-Ciancio. She was instrumental in Standley Lake's win, going 9 for 14 on her way to 25 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aaliyah Valenzuela, who went 6 of 12 en route to 12 points and six rebounds.
Standley Lake smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
Kennedy's record is now 4-2. As for Standley Lake, their record is now 8-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kennedy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Standley Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kennedy was dealt a bruising 67-37 loss at the hands of Standley Lake in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Thankfully for Kennedy, Taylin Serlen (who dropped a double-double on 39 points and 12 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
